“Allendria, can you come here for a moment?” Arthur asked her.
He watched as she approached. She did have some amazing curves to her. She had a bit of twinkle in her eye, and it looked like her adrenaline was still running pretty high.
“Allendria, I could use some advice,” Arthur told her as she got close.
“If I can offer any, I will. What about?” Allendria told him.
“I am too the point in my levels where I need to focus my stats into a specific fighting style and class, but I am not familiar with many fighting styles or even classes. I am leaning toward a melee and caster hybrid fighter, but I do not know if any are available or feasible.” He explained to her.
She thought about the situation for a moment, “That would be a good option for you. Especially if we can keep together our current group.” She looked to the side toward Vana and Samson, “Those two are both incredible at what they do. Vana has some amazing archery skills, and I can honestly say I haven’t seen many people who could have held out as long as Samson did against that boss without a healer. Your situation is a little more complex. I know of a couple of classes that would probably work for you, but since you think a melee caster style is the best, I would suggest you focus your efforts to become a Spell Blade.”
“If you think that is best. What is a Spell Blade, and what do they focus on?” Arthur asked.
“A spell blade is a melee combat fighter that focuses on bladed weapons combined with temporary weapon enchantments and combat spells. It is common for them to wield a sword in the main hand and a dagger in the off-hand. They typically use spells that coat their blades to deal extra damage. For instance, they may coat a blade in the magic of shearing wind to make damaging wounds or coat it in electricity to shock and paralyze those they damage. They can be an absolute nightmare on the battlefield. There was even one who was a legendary figure amongst the Dark Elves. His name was Jarazian Swiftstride. He could harness the magic that would make him move at unseen speeds and slice through people before they even knew he was there.”
“That sounds perfect. Do you know what stats I need to focus on for it, and if there are any skills I need to work on for it?” Arthur asked her.
“Well, classes can be unlocked at level twenty. The process is unique for each person and depends on the class, so I cannot help you much with that. What I can tell you is that a spell blade mainly focuses on magical power and speed. They rely on speed and their enhancements to their blades to deal massive amounts of damage. The dual weapon focus is something you will need to work on. I would suggest the sword and dagger combo since it works well. I would use your stat points to primarily focus on your Intellect and Agility. You can throw the occasional point into strength to help boost your raw blade damage, but most of it will come from the magic effects you imbue your blade with. It is also important to note that your magical enhancements as a Spell Blade will also work with any natural enchantments already on a blade, so they are stackable.”
“That sounds perfect,” Arthur said and then subconsciously rubbed his chest. “The only downside of melee combat is getting your shit handed to you by a giant cat.” He said as he chuckled.
“So I need to work on speed and spells, that should be pretty easy. Thank you so much for your help. I know I can always count on you for advice. I truly appreciate it.” Arthur told her sincerely.
“Anytime, Arthur. Even though this was dangerous, it sure was fun. I haven’t felt this free in forever.”
“Stick with me, and I am sure we will see much more.”
“I look forward to it.” She said with a wink.
Arthur turned his attention back to his stats. He decided to follow what Allendria said. Completely ignoring the advice she had given him would be utter foolishness. With that in mind, he decided to allocate six points into Intellect, four points into Agility, and three points into Wisdom. That should help improve his magical ability as well. He decided to also use his 75% boost for swords to help get him a bit more skill. It was enough to get him to level three in swords. He pulled up his new stat sheet.
Congratulations, you have reached level 3 in Swords. Swing speed with swords increased by 6%. Is this thing sharp?
Name: Arthur
Level: 9
Age: 26
Race: Human
HP: 150/150
MP: 155/340
Stamina: 150/150
Strength: 8
Agility: 12
Intellect: 14
Wisdom: 8
Endurance: 8
Charisma: 5
Luck: 5
Experience: 960/4600
Skills (0% boost to any skill for level up)
Combat Skills:
Archery: 5 (1165/1900)
- Aim Shot: 1 (225/500)
Block: 1 (180/500)
Parry: 1 (180/500)
Small Blades: 2 (575/750)
Stealth: 1 (370/500)
- Detect Hidden: 1 (50/500)
Swords: 3 (100/1000)
Unarmed: 1 (205/500)
Magic:
Earth Magic: 3 (180/1400)
- Earthen Wall (1)
- Magical Prospecting (1)
- Tranform Stone:Gravel (1)
Fire Magic: 2 (690/750)
- Basic Fire Bolt (1)
- Weak Flame (1)
Professions:
Barter: 3 (100/1000)
Blacksmithing: 4 (230/1400)
- Alternate Heating 1 (160/500)
- Arcane Smithing 1 (310/500)
Cooking: 2 (400/750)
Enchanting: 2 (340/750)
Farming: 5 (0/1900)
- Cultivation (1/5)
- Germination (1/5)
Firemaking: 2 (700/750)
Herbalism: 5 (660/1900)
- Green View (1/5)
- Regrowth (1/5)
Mining: 3 (750/1000)
- Magical Mining 3 (750/1000)
Skinning: 3 (500/1000)
Woodworking: 1 (40/500)
That looked a lot better, and he was more comfortable with his magic now. That larger mana pool would also greatly help with his enchanting and spells he would need to cast for the village. Between the added mana and his regen, he was already able to cast more spells looking for ore, and now he had a very respectable regen rate of seventeen per minute. He was pretty sure most mages would envy a regen rate that high.
He went back to where he had stopped previously and kept on moving with his sweep around the room. Another three casts of prospecting later, and he discovered something that made him feel better for the village itself. He went ahead and used his Transform Stone: Gravel spell and looked at his reward.
Copper Ore
Durability: 30/30
Rarity: Common
Quality: Good
Weight: 3.0 kg
Slot: Crafting Item/Currency
Traits: A chunk of copper ore. Can be used for crafting. Also serves as currency if minted into coins.
You have gained 300 experience in Earth Magic for successfully casting Magical Prospecting (x3).
You have gained 150 experience in Earth Magic for successfully casting Transform Stone: Gravel.
Congratulations, you have reached level 5 in Earth Magic. Increases the effect of your earth magic spells by 12%. Dig in that dirt!
You have gained 600 experience in Mining and Magical Mining for finding Copper Ore (x12)
Congratulations, you have reached level 4 in Mining. You have a 9% increased chance to find rare materials while Mining. Just keep swinging, just keep swinging.
Congratulations, you have reached level 4 in Magical Mining. Increases the chance that items found will be a higher rarity by 9%. This should be against the law, lazy man!
“Samson! Can you come here a minute?” Arthur called over his shoulder. These bigger chunks of copper had a bit of heft to them, and they would need to plan how they were getting this stuff out.
“What’s up, Arthur?” Samson asked.
/> “Would you mind going back to the entrance and grabbing our cart? We don’t want to have to carry all this stuff out of the entrance.” Arthur said as he motioned for the chunks of copper. “We also need to get those cats loaded up on it. I am not sure we will be able to fit much more on it today. I think we will need to head back once we wrap up in here. It is already going to be packed pretty high, and I think the workload for getting these things skinned and boned out is going to be pretty bad this afternoon.”
Samson nodded to him, “Of course, I’ll run and get it real quick. It isn’t that far away, and the cats are all gutted now.”
He took off up the path at a quick jog. Arthur noticed he left the shield behind but took his sword just in case. Smart man.
Arthur decided to do another prospect spell while he waited. He had regenerated enough mana from the time he started this second round to add one additional prospecting spell but had no luck with it.
You have gained 100 experience in Earth Magic for successfully casting Magical Prospecting.
He walked over to chat with Vana and Allendria, who were standing by the boss cat. Vana was lovingly admiring her new bow while Allendria was chuckling about something.
“Everything good to go over here?” Arthur asked.
“Everything is perfectly fine,” Allendria said with a smile. “Where did Samson run off to?”
“I asked him to run up and grab the cart, so we could get this stuff loaded. I didn’t relish the idea of carrying it all back to the cave entrance. The damn cart is already going to look like something in a Dr. Seuss cartoon piled up high and tied down tight to keep the load from swaying around.” Arthur chuckled to himself.
“Who is this, Dr. Seuss?” Vana asked.
“He is an author from where I come from,” Arthur told them.
They seemed to shrug off that statement. Vana looked at the boss and then back at him.
“That hide should make a nice outfit.”
“I plan on laying claim to a bunch of it to make me some armor and clothing. It is rather stunning, I will admit.” Arthur told her.
“I don’t have any objection to it. Hopefully, we can put some of this plan of yours to work in the next few days. I would like to get my hands on a bit of armor. If nothing else, some sturdier clothing would be preferable.” She told him.
“Do not worry about it. With the haul we have today, we will be spending the next few days doing nothing but work around the village. I need to get a lot of crafting done in preparation for the upcoming fight with Lord Golgara’s men. I need to get to work on the earthen wall around the village as well. I also have plans for some improvements to the buildings around the village to help out the citizenry itself. I would like to try and get a sawmill running as well so we can get lumber for building repairs.” Arthur explained.
“Well, if nothing else, you sure do dream big. I do hope you can make it all happen, though. I look forward to living in a place that feels safe and prosperous.” Vana said wistfully.
“It is not just me who will make it happen. I am counting on you guys to help me just as much. There are plenty of things to be done around the village. I saw some life back in it yesterday for the first time since I had arrived and am hoping it will get more and more lively.” Arthur told them.
Samson came around the corner, pushing the cart, and they all got to work. It took all four of them to get the boss up on the cart. Arthur and Samson had to lift the cat’s head and front shoulders and set it on the cart while Vana and Allendria took the rear end. They tucked the copper ore under the assorted cats and in between some of their bodies. Arthur had managed to regenerate another 200 mana in the time it took them to load the cats, so he decided to do a few more prospecting spells. He went to where he had stopped and worked his way around. This time it took four spells until he found something useful. His Transform Stone: Gravel spell extracted these latest contents.
You have gained 400 experience in Earth Magic for successfully casting Magical Prospecting (x4).
Congratulations, you have unlocked Mastery level 2 for Magical Prospecting. The mana cost for this spell has decreased by 5.
You have gained 150 experience in Earth Magic for successfully casting Transform Stone: Gravel.
You have gained 350 experience in Mining and Magical Mining for finding Raw Iron Ore (x14).
They got those chunks of ore loaded on the cart, and Arthur noticed that two of the fourteen were exquisite quality. It appeared his skill bonus came into play with that a bit. He guessed that would help increase the final product of items made with it.
They got the cart completely strapped down and loaded. It was heavy enough that Arthur and Samson were having to take turns pushing it. The strain of the weight was severe with that much on it. I would kill for a good truck right now to throw it all in. Arthur thought to himself.
Vana took the lead and kept an eye out for dangers. Arthur made sure she also kept her eye out for any herbs or spices, and he was pleased when she found some more wild potatoes, carrots, radishes, and even some garlic. Arthur halted her before she pulled any of them up and used his new Germination ability. Since he had thrown the point in the talent for Cultivation, he was able to use it on wild plants as well. He used the skill each time they found one of them and came out with a bundle of seeds for each plant.
You have gained 1600 total experience in Farming for successfully casting Germination (x8).
You have gained 45 Potato Seeds.
You have gained 33 Garlic Seeds.
You have gained 42 Carrot Seeds.
You have gained 24 Radish Seeds.
Arthur was lucky enough that they found them far enough apart for his mana to have regenerated. They made their way out of the forest and back onto the smoother track of the road. It wasn’t a very well-maintained road by any means, but it was better than weaving through the forest underbrush. Arthur and Samson were practically dead on their feet by the time they made it to the inn. Taking their turns with the cart had worn them out.
They stopped the cart behind the inn and walked in. The place was pretty full for the middle of the afternoon, so Arthur found Daniel and walked up to him.
“Holy shit Arthur. What the hell happened to you?” Daniel exclaimed.
“Oh, you know, just killed a bunch of night stalker cats and their boss cat. Then hauled all of their massive asses back to town. We have them all loaded on the cart in the back. We also found some more iron ore and even managed to scrounge up some copper ore. I think I can use my magic to melt them into coins that match local currency. That should help get the monetary system back on track in the village. If nothing else, it will help get it started. I also found a handful of vegetables for you, and I have some pouches of seeds we can use for planting.”
“Well, I’ll be damned if you are not a miracle worker. Give me a second, and I’ll come to help you guys out.” Daniel told him.
“Thank you. I’ll meet you in the back. We will get the cats laid out in the back and get the vegetables brought in for you. I’ll have the ore put back on the cart, so I can take it over to Rowan.”
Arthur walked out the back, and they all started laying the cats and the wolves out along the back wall. They took the vegetables and the seeds he had collected into the inn and placed them in the kitchen for Daniel to sort. They went back outside and got to work skinning. Arthur asked Vana to start with the primal cat. She had a higher Skinning skill than him, and he wanted that hide in the best shape possible. The other three started skinning the rest of the animals.
It took them two hours to finish up the skinning, and that was with Daniel coming to join them and bringing two other people who were in the inn to assist. Arthur assumed Daniel had promised them some food if they helped in the skinning.
Once all the skins had been laid out, salted, and rolled back up, they stacked them in the storage room in the inn. The animal carcasses had been stacked on the cart to keep them off the ground. They took them three at a
time into the inn, and all got to work cutting the meat off of them. They stacked all of the meat on one of the far counters in the kitchen. Arthur felt terrible for Daniel because he and his apprentices were going to have a lot of meat to cure and a lot of blood to clean up.
They finally got the meat off of the animals and got all of the remnants loaded back on the cart. Arthur and Allendria helped Daniel start salting down the meat and cutting some of it into smaller bits for stews while Vana and Samson took the carcasses out to the edge of the forest to dump.
You have gained 300 experience in Skinning for skinning Night Stalker (Level 10) (x2).
When they returned with the cart, Arthur excused himself and loaded the cart back up with the ore they had found. He took the cart over to Rowan and saw the man hard at work. It looked like the man had shifted from iron nails to iron arrowheads. He wasn’t about to question the man.
He was a blacksmith by trade and knew what the town needed more than he did. Arthur stopped the cart and waved to Rowan. He started unloading the raw iron ore into the shop where Rowan had stacked the metal last time. There was still a little left from their previous trip, but his apprentices must have been working hard because most of them were gone, and the stack of iron ingots had grown.
He had just finished unloading the last chunk of iron when Rowan finished what he had been working on and approached him. Arthur showed him the copper ore on the cart.
“Do me a favor and set this somewhere safe, will you? I plan on using my magic to try and mold this into some copper currency to help get the village up and running a little faster. I don’t think it will be of much use for crafting any time soon, so I think that is the best use for now.” Arthur told him.
“I agree. I have a safe spot in the back of one of the rooms here that I can store it in. It will keep anyone from messing with it until you can get around to it.” He told him.
“I appreciate it, Rowan. How did things go here today?” Arthur asked.
“It went pretty smoothly. I was able to make around five hundred iron nails, so I shifted my work to do some iron arrowheads as well. I knew we would need them eventually.” Rowan said.
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